Latest Posts

Taste and see that the Lord is good

Published by

I love good food! Sometimes, I just want to show up and be served. Other times, I like to get creative and show the world that I’m a better cook than Gordon Ramsay. I have tasted a lot of good stuff, but my wife’s cooking is the best. My most favorite place to hang is in the kitchen when she is cooking. But she usually kicks me out because I don’t really know when to stop tasting. I just keep coming back for more.

Well, God has extended to us an invitation to not only taste but to also discover his goodness. He is the only one able to serve goodness, and His invitation is for everyone to taste and see how wonderful it is (Psalm 34:8).  I responded to that invitation many years ago but I just can’t get enough –  so I keep coming back for more.

I know you have probably tried everything this world has to offer, but God’s invitation to taste and see how good he is still stands. He wants you to:

Taste the word – it is perfect reviving the soul… It is right rejoicing the heart… It is pure enlightening the heart… It is sweeter than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Taste His love – it is his everlasting, unending, crazy love… Vast beyond all measure… it is too high, you can’t get over it… too low, you can’t get under it… it is too wide, you can’t get around it… it is his banner over you.

Taste grace – it’s unmerited favor… It is empowerment to do the things God require… Grace that exceeds our sin and guilt… Grace that will pardon and cleanse within… It is “two hundred-proof defiant grace.”

Taste Salvation – it is the rebirth of the soul… It is regeneration… It is forgiveness of sins… It is being born again…  I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see kind of salvation.

Taste forgiveness – it is liberating… It is reconciliation, restoration, justification… it is lifted burdens… it is being made right with God.

Taste enlightenment – it is the awakening of the mind, the spirit of wisdom and of revelation… it is the prodigal coming to his senses… it is the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ… it is becoming wise unto salvation.

Taste the Holy Spirit – it is his presence… it is refreshing to your soul… It is the anointing… It is the refiner’s fire, the dew from heaven, water from an ever flowing fountain… It is a gentle dove… The still small voice… it is tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost.

Taste the glory – It is Shekinah glory… One that never fades… it is arise and shine for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Taste the heavenly gift – it is His will on earth as is in heaven… it is Jesus Christ himself… it is wisdom from above… His immeasurably great power toward us.

Taste his goodness – it is Him taking care of you… It is his unmerited favor… Surely, it is goodness and mercy following you all the days of your life… it is kindness, faithfulness, tender mercies… healing, provisions, protection.

Taste immortality – it is the power of the coming age… It is the present age giving in to the age to come… It is the perishable putting on the imperishable… It is death being swallowed up eternal life.

His peace is ever flowing, his joy never comes to an end, his love is unending – you need to taste it. Life with Him is exciting and adventurous, and he gives hope you can count on – you need to taste it.

You will never know how amazing He actually is until you try Him. On;y than will you discover that He is all that you ever needed.

So why don’t you taste and see?

Do not be a spectator – be a participator

Published by

20130826-125758.jpg

When it comes to worshiping the Lord according to the book (Bible), all I hear sometimes is a bunch of excuses:

It is not my personality
I am too shy, plus I don’t want to draw attention to myself
I don’t want to embarrass myself, my friends are looking
I don’t have to shout, dance, jump, or clap to actually praise God
I don’t want to be like one of those show offs

I think sometimes people can be a little too stiff in church, a bit too dignified and too concerned about themselves instead of following the book on worship. So the question here is – Is it possible that having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect in church, especially in the area of our attitude to praise and worship, can sometimes hinder us from truly experiencing the fullness of the abundant life we have in Christ?

There are seven words in the scripture that define what praise and worship should really look like. Seven in the scripture is a number of perfection. What that means is that God wants for us to worship him to perfection and has given us seven different words to show us how to do that.

Today, I want for to focus on just one of the seven: Halal!
Halal means to be clear… Clear about who gets the glory in worship… who is the center of attraction… Halal means to get the joy out… When people are happy they always do something – They laugh, sing, dance, clap, jump, or shout… Halal means to shine… To celebrate wildly, to be clamorously foolish… To insanely worship and praise the Lord.

It is where we get the word Hallelujah. Hallelujah is not just something we say when a preacher says something cute in his sermon. It is a word that should move us to shouts of adoration, joyous dancing and expressive praise. When you Halal the Lord it is always for Him, always Christ centered, always done in the Spirit of the Lord, and always for His glory.

Frankly, Halal is not for the dignified because it is sometimes very embarrassing. David understood this, yet he danced before the Lord. Not his wife, she was too dignified to do any such thing. In fact, she despised him for humbling himself. She was more concerned about what others thought about the king than she was about what God thought about him.

To his wife Michal, David said, “I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). We should be less concerned about what others think about us when we praise and worship and more concerned about what it means to God and what He thinks about our praise.

Unfortunately, Michal remained without a child for the rest of her life while her husband experienced favor, rest and blessings from the Lord (2 Samuel 6:23; 7:1). There is no telling what this dimension of praise can unleashed in the life of a believer. So, next time you have an opportunity to Halal God, don’t be a spectator, be a participator – you’ll never know how much pleasure it brings to the Lord and the kind of blessing it can unleash in your life.

Go ahead, Halal God!

A Force to reckon with

Published by

English: Portrait of a Gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce)

English: Portrait of a Gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833)

William was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1784–1812). In 1785, he underwent a conversion experience and became an evangelical Christian, which resulted in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform. In 1787, he came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave-trade activists, including Granville Sharp, Hannah More and Charles Middleton. They persuaded Wilberforce to take on the cause of abolition, and he soon became one of the leading English abolitionists. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty-six years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

Wilberforce was convinced of the importance of religion, morality and education.

He championed causes and campaigns such as the Society for the Suppression of Vice, British missionary work in India, the creation of a free colony in Sierra Leone, the foundation of the Church Mission Society, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In later years, Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery, and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire; Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend William Pitt.

Here are ten powerful quotes from Wilberforce

1. “No one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, strenuous diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labor, study, or inquiry.”

2. “My business is in the world, and I must mix in the assemblies of men or quit the post which Providence seems to have assigned me.”

3. “Great indeed are our opportunities; great also is our responsibility.”

4. “What plea can we have to urge in our defense, if we remain willingly and obstinately ignorant of the way which leads to life with such transcendent means of knowing it?”

5. “Ingratitude sickens the heart, and chills and thickens the very life’s blood of benevolence.”

6. “It is the distinguishing glory of Christianity not to rest satisfied with superficial appearances, but to rectify the motives, and purify the heart.”

7. “Our enmities soften and melt away; we are ashamed of thinking much of the petty injuries which we may have suffered, when we consider what the Son of God, ‘who did no wrong, neither was guile found in his mouth,’ patiently endured.”

8. “Christ should be a Christian’s delight and glory. I will endeavor by God’s help to excite in myself an anxiety and longing for the joys of heaven . . .”

9. “Christianity recognizes no innocence or goodness of heart, but in the remission of sin, and in the effects of the operation of divine grace.”

10. “Wherever we direct our view, we discover the melancholy proofs of our depravity; whether we look to ancient or modern times, to barbarous or civilized nations, to the conduct of the world around us, or to the monitor within the breast; whether we read, or hear, or act, or think, or feel, the same humiliating lesson is forced upon us.”

Notes about William Wilberforce via Wikipedia 
Quotes by William Wilberforce via Logostalk

Dead come to life!

Published by

We are the dry and thirsty sand
Upon this dry and thirsty land
But you speak life into the flesh
Breathing air into the dead. Jonathan Thulin/ Charmaine Carrasco

20 Questions that show the Absurdity of living by the Law

Published by

After coming into being as a result of God’s Spirit at work in Paul’s proclamation of the gospel (3:1–5; 4:13–15), the Galatian church gradually began to descend into a place of bondage and darkness. A group of false teachers whom Paul calls those “who trouble you” (1:7) or “those who unsettle you” (5:12) had infiltrated the church and was trying to convince the Galatians of a false gospel which required them to be circumcised.

Although the Galatians seem to have come under the spell of these teachers and have become convinced of their teaching (1:6), Paul does not regard the situation as completely hopeless (3:4). Through a series of pertinent questions, Paul provides numerous reasons why the Galatians should return to grace and reject the absurdity of living by the law.

1. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?

2. Am I trying to please man?

3. If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?

4. Is Christ then a servant of sin?

5. Who bewitched you?

6. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

7. Are you so foolish?

8. Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

9. Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

10. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

11. Why then the law?

12. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?

13. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

14. How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world?

15. Whose slaves you want to be once more?

16. What then has become of your blessedness?

17. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?

18. But what does the Scripture say?

19. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

20. If I, brothers, Or brothers and sisters; still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?

Conclusion:

At the end of the day,  the gospel is appropriated not by works of law but by faith, which is the route to justification. In his sin-bearing death, Christ is a substitute for all Christians, whom he brings into a new realm of freedom and life. To require circumcision and other Mosaic ceremonies such as dietary laws and Jewish holidays as a supplement to faith is to fall back from the realm of grace, faith, and freedom, and to come under the whole law and its curse, since comprehensive observance of the law is impossible.

The Christian life has its source in the believer having died with Christ to sin, and thereby having renounced the flesh. But the Spirit is the source of power and guidance in the Christian life, and the work of the Spirit produces love and faith.

All questions from the book of Galatians

All effort is in vain without the Lord

Published by

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2

Let me clarify or unpack a few things before we get to the heart of the matter here in Psalm 127. First of all, the first three verses of Psalm 127 is not an encouragement to laziness. When Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air they don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Look at the lilies of the field, they don’t work or make their clothing,” – he was not telling us that we should not work. We know from other passages that if we do not work we will not eat.

Diligence is neither greed nor restless anxiety

Those who build a house must indeed labor on it, and certainly the watchman of a city must certainly stay awake.  Children are a heritage from the Lord – his gift, yet husband and wife must do something in bringing the children into the world. But at the same time, the builder, the watchman and the husband and wife must diligently carry out their efforts in faith, trusting that God will make all things work for good. Understanding this principle is key to finding rest in God and being productive in life.

When we look at Psalm 128:2, we find a diligent farmer as well. But he must practice his diligence in faith by receiving the sleep that God wants to “give to his children.” The call to diligence is a recurring theme throughout the book of Proverbs (10:22; 23:4–5), but the book also makes it clear that diligence is neither greed nor restless anxiety. Too often we get clobbered by greed and restless anxiety. So in His infinite wisdom, God instituted the Sabbath rest (Ex. 20:8–11) as a gift to enable His people to live by faith, and trust him for their future well-being.

Eating the bread of anxious toil

Just as it is important to live on the proper diet as human beings for our physical wellbeing, so it is also important to live on the proper diet as spiritual beings for our spiritual wellbeing. In Psalm 127, we see the danger of “eating the bread of anxious toil.” What is the bread of anxious toil? It’s greed and restless anxiety. It is the choice to rely on effort and diligence over and above faith and trust. It is a constant striving, a will power to meet one’s goals with limited help from above. It’s driven by anxious thoughts.

For example: “How am I going to take care of my family? How am I going to pull this off? Maybe I should do more, knock on more doors, go the extra mile.” The problem here is – while restless anxiety and anxious thoughts are pulling – you sometimes forget that without His help all effort is in vain. You sometimes fail to stop and rest in Him, by casting all your care upon him and getting out of the driver’s seat to let him take control. You fail to let go and let God.

But if we could only remember in these times that “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain and unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain,” we will never be able save ourselves from eating the bread of anxious toil. We will never be able to find the sleep, the rest that He promised.

We need to always remember that it is – “The blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”

It is Mine!

Published by

Now therefore, give me this mountain
of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim
were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the
LORD will be with me, and I shall be able
to drive them out as the LORD said.

The Story

This is a story we are all very familiar with… the story of the children of Israel before they actually entered the promise land. In the text above, Caleb comes to Joshua and reminds him of things that happened about 45 years earlier when God told them to enter the promise land. He (Caleb) and Joshua were two of the few that went up to explore the promised land and actually returned with great news and faith – that even though there were giants in the land, they were going to stand on the promises of God – that every piece of land they walked on shall be theirs.

Well, we know that some of the other guys came back with a different report. One that questioned the power and authority of God and His ability to deliver on his promises. But not Caleb… at age 85 he comes to Joshua and tells him – listen – I still believe God – he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. All his promises are yes and the amen (so be it ) is said to the glory of His name. So “give me this mountain.” It is mine! I can still defeat these Anakims – for with God I can do exploits – I can scale a wall – I can move mountains.

The point I getting at here is the unwavering trust and faith that Caleb has in the promise of God. That when we trust him to deliver on his promise he always does. So, today, if God told you anything – specifically from his word or through a whisper in your heart, stand on that promise. Even though the promise has not happened yet, wait for it, for it shall surely come to pass. Maybe you are believing Him for a child, trust him, maybe for healing – trust him, maybe for a job, trust him, maybe for ministry opportunities or growth – trust him today!

Stand on the Promises

As you well know, there are 3573 Promises in the Bible. If we started to name them here it is going to take us a long time to complete. Here are a few you can stand on today! Meditate on them – pray over them…

  • Divine Nature/2 Peter 1:4/ By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
  • Rest/Matthew 11:28, 29/ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  • Provision/Phil. 4:19/ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
  • Victory/Romans 8:37-39/ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord
  • Guidance to an expected end/ Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
  • Eternal Life/Romans 6:23/ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • Security/Proverbs 1:23/ But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
  • Peace/John 14:27/ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
  • The Holy Spirit’s Power/ Acts 1:8/ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
  • Healing/Isaiah 53:5/ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed
  • Endurance/Isaiah 40:31/ But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk…
  • Ever Abiding Presence/Matthew 28:20/ …I am with you always, even to the end of the age… When the rest of the world is against us, when our stand for truth and for the honor of God come with disapproval, even than will his presence be with us.

FIGHTING Demons with a Machete

Published by

This one is LOOOOOOg but I think you will enjoy it!

The author of the controversial article – Beware of the Nigerian Religious Junk, Pastor Conrad Mbewe has come out with another controversial article entitled – Why is the Charismatic movement thriving in Africa? In this one, he claims that “the explosion of the current extreme form of the Charismatic movement in Africa is not Christianity, but African traditional religious worldview sprinkled with a thin layer of Christianity.” If you have time take a look at his interview with Don Carson on the subject of Nigerian Religious Junk I think you will find it informative.

Why is this important? Well, Pastor Conrad is one of the speakers at the upcoming “Strange Fire Conference” organized and hosted by John MacArthur. But if you care about missions, evangelism and the well-being of the Church in Africa, you will want to listen or tune in to the debate going on now. For starters, I think Michael Brown has a compelling response to Pastor Conrad’s article that is worth reading.

But I can say beyond the shadow of doubt that there are some very disturbing issues and serious errors affecting the church in Africa. But there is a lot of great things happening on the continent as well – and we will do well to celebrate those things instead of discrediting the entire move of God as not Christian.

I praise God for the great things he is doing all over Africa. I thank him for missionaries from all over the world and all over Africa for the work they are doing. But like others have pointed out – “Christianity in Africa is complex… it is alive… it is thriving,” and it has it highs and lows like every other church around the world. So before this much-needed discussion begins to degenerate into a needless chatter,  we should seriously begin to look at how we can fix these problems and help the church Africa to continue to thrive.

Here a is a list of 15 real issues and concerns in “some” African Church that I would like to highlight 

  • Personality Cult – the man of God is like a king. He is treated like one and he acts like one also
  • Exclusive Revelation – the man of God is the only one who can see and understand the supernatural. He has a word  for you and you must obey
  • Churches have become ‘Ministries’
  • African Spiritism – the same tricks used by witch doctors have found their way into some churches
  • It is all about deliverance – you must be delivered from generational curse
  • Sinful living – the man of God can live like he wants and no one can question him. They hide behind scriptures like – “touch not my anointed and do my Prophet no harm.”
  • Churches as entertainment centers
  • Lavished Lifestyle – the man of God dresses like a king… drives and flies in style
  • Selective nature of church discipline – the man of God show favor in his choice of who gets disciplined
  • status, power and a craving for title – the bishops, and the apostles, and the big names…. internationally recognized
  • No accountability structures – leaders do what they want, use church finances however they want
  • Crocked Con men in bishop’s robes – some are just in it for the money
  • The cross of Christ and the Christ of the cross is not preached – just some vague form of deliverance
  • The pastor as a witch doctor – many see the pastor as a witch doctor
  • Money for prayer, deliverance, miracles – you cannot come empty-handed

The list is not exhaustive and you can certainly add to it if you live on the continent and know how these guys operate.

Between 1995 and 2002 I was a missionary and worked at JVA – a Christian radio station in Lome, Togo. Among other things, I hosted a prayer program once a week and one night during one of our broadcasts, one of my guests reached into his backpack and pulled out a machete and started swinging it around saying that he was chopping the devil and cutting demonic strongholds to pieces. That was one of the most bizarre intercessory strategy I had seen in my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I do understand, Ezekiel was tied up with ropes and he also took a brick at God’s command and drew the map of Jerusalem around it to show the Israelites that there was going to be a siege. But I am sound enough to know that in dealing with demons and principalities – the blood of Jesus – the word of God and the authority given to the believer in the name of Jesus is more than enough. Unfortunately, we have allow some of these religious junk to creep into our churches.

It should also be of interest to you that most of the new churches – the independent churches that have sprung up and are springing up all over the continent of African are led by men and women who left local churches from every major denomination in Africa ( the Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist ect…). Usually these young men and women leave their churches because of a lack of leadership – one that inspires, impacts and deploys. They leave because of a lack of opportunity to use their gifts, because those in charge felt threatened.

In many cases there is a lack of gospel power and Holy Spirit’s fire, and a lack of vision to do church differently – take risks – do new things – do some out of the box ministries, tap into the energy of the young. Because of the lack of these things – the mass exodus of most our talented youth are left opened to new and misguided trends of doing church in Africa.

 I think if we will ever be able to impact this movement and change its course, there are a few things we need to discuss:

  • Begin to find, invest in, train  and unleash potential leaders within the walls of our local congregations. If we don’t they will get frustrated, leave and go get a two-week bible training somewhere and start a church right next to yours.
  • As senior leaders, we need to understand that our associates are not threats – they are assets (Dear Senior Pastor: Sincerely the associate pastor). Don’t feel threaten by those who work with you  in the ministry and begin to marginalize them and treat them like rivals. Invest in them give them wings – bring out the best in them.
  • It is time to tear down the walls of bureaucracy, politics, tribalism, favoritism, and the idea of the “keepers of the gates.” Young Africans are sick and tired of the red tape and bureaucracy in the church. If our local church leadership don’t understand these things – we will continue to see the rise of unhealthy churches, because this is the kind of thing that have cause many to leave to go start a new church.
  • Don’t stifle the voice of the youth. Make it easy for them to discover their gifts and talents. Listen to them, make it easy for them to express themselves through proper channels of comments and criticism.
  • As leaders we want people around us we can trust – but sometimes all we really want is a person who will say yes to everything we tell them to do. So we elevate “yes men” and isolate free and independent thinkers. In Africa and most places around the world – if one is not a ‘yes man’ kind of person – he is seen as a rebel. We need to stop this –  if he does not agree with me he is against me mentality.
  • Raise the value of disciples in our local churches. If our people are properly feed they will be able to discern truth from falsehood. Give them sound biblical teaching.
  • Understand the evangelistic context and present the gospel accordingly. Africa worldview is one of the supernatural. If this is not taken into consideration you will find yourself knocking your head against the wall. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:-5 “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” Unfortunately, this is where most of our churches fail. They do not contextualize and address the heartfelt needs of the people. Heal the sick, raise the dead, set the captive, drive out demons. Instead of trying to make a debate about whether a Christian should be delivered or not or whether one can be demon possessed or not – I say, anywhere you find a demon cast it out and move on.
  • The temptation for some of our local church pastors to emulate some of these popular, extra biblical preachers is rising. These guys are so popular that pastor fear loosing their flock if they don’t preach like them or teach some of the stuff they preach. It is time to encourage our local church pastors to live for God, seek him, preach the word and depend on him to heal and deliver their people.
  • Reach Out – usually these guys are marginalized and criticized in pulpits all over the continent and around the world. Therefore, further public shaming is counter productive and further isolate them. If you see them as heretics don’t forget they see you as out of touch. So no need to stir up unnecessary fights. Reach Out privately, prayerfully and politely.
  • Make theological training attractive. You must understand that most of these guys feel that theological training is not necessarily of the devil, but that it makes you cold, turns you into a big-headed know it all preacher. That’s because they’ve seen what bible school did to some of their pastors and friends – they went in full of zeal and Holy Spirit’s fire but left dusty, dry, dead and full of book. So, put programs in your seminaries that encourage and help students keep the fire of the Spirit burning. Send out graduates that show this. Let your staff and curriculum show this.
  • Invest in leadership training of local church pastors because as they grow the will be able to help others grow
  • Finally, build ‘Berea Minded Believers’ Believers that think, ask question and study.

Please join the conversation…

Related articles

the belt that no one wants to wear

Published by

I think it is important that we learn how to discern right from wrong, good from evil and truth from error. Our world constantly bombards us with error and half-truths. and the fact that we have to make decisions and choices every day makes it even more important.

One of the ways we do that is by allowing the “Word of Christ to dwell in us richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” This refers to the teaching about Christ as well as the words of Christ himself, which were part of the oral traditions passed on to believers. We are also to “put on the whole armor of God to be strong in the Lord and able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Unfortunately most of us want to wear the armor without the most important piece – the belt of truth. According to Salmond:

Strictly, the belt is not part of the armor, but before the armor can be put on, the garments underneath must be gathered together. “The soldier might be furnished with every other part of his equipment, and yet, wanting the belt, would neither be fully dressed nor securely armed. This belt . . . was no mere adornment of the soldier, but an essential part of his equipment . . . it was of especial use in keeping other parts in place, and in securing the proper soldierly attitude and freedom of movement.”

Truth keeps us close to the heart of the Father. Truth protects us from error. Truth brings wisdom in decision-making. Truth sets us free. It is amazing what truth can do when we allow it to affect the choices we make. Grotius says,

Great is the laxity of falsehood; truth binds the man. Truth preserves a man from those lax views of morals, of duty and of religion, which leave him exposed to every assault. It makes the soul sincere, firm, constant, and always on its guard. A man who has no consistent views of truth, is just the man for the adversary successfully to assail.

We are not only talking about purity or sincerity , but also the conviction that what you believe is God’s truth. This is the only thing that holds the other pieces of the armor tightly together; thereby giving the soldier the alertness and buoyancy in the battle, enabling him to discern and endure as a good soldier of Christ.

The word of God is the means by which God’s Spirit enables us to stand against the enemy and overcome. Apart from the word of God, we are lost. It is our compass. This generation needs to return to the word of God. Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of the Father.” In 2 Tim. 2:15, Paul urged Timothy to be a good soldier and not get entangled in civilian pursuits, he also urged him to “study” the word of God. I love the French translation to this verse: “Efforce-toi” – force yourself, make an effort to study. Don’t depend on other for your daily bread. Go fetch it yourself. Don’t depend on your pastoral leadership. Force yourself to dig, study to show yourself approved.

Put on the Belt of truth!